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The United States of America has withdrawn from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). Following this course of action by the US, Russia has done the same and will be formally exiting the treaty within six months.
The United States, following the Monroe Doctrine, has always considered the South American countries as a part of their backyard. The step to back Guaido as the leader of the country has been done after allegations of corruption against Maduro, his reform in the country to consolidate his power have been a cause of concern for the United States.
The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty is a cold war era treaty that kept missiles out of Europe for almost three decades. Signed in 1987 between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the treaty banned ground launch nuclear missiles ranging from 500 km -5,500 km. It has been an integral part of the European security architecture through the Cold War era, preventing the outbreak of severe crises in the region.
The US has accused Russia of violating the terms of the treaty since 2014, which Russia denies. The withdrawal of both parties leads to fear of an arms race and the repeat of a Cold War like scenario.
In a landmark event referred to as "surprises' of the god", Pope Francis, as the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City visited Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. He is the first pope to have stepped on the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam and a region marred in religious and geo-political conflicts. The significance of the event, a first in 1,400 years of Islamic history, cannot be exaggerated enough.
During the three-day visit, Pope Francis and Dr Ahmed Al Tayed, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, signed a human fraternity document, which seeks to promote shared values, tolerance and good interfaith relations in search of peace. The document is aimed at uniting people across faiths and encouraging inter-faith harmony while spreading the message of peace. It touches upon some contentious issues such as the role of women in the Islamic community and citizenship for Christians and promises change.
The pope also used this occasion to express his views on the conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. "Human fraternity requires of us, as representatives of the world's religions, the duty to reject every nuance of approval from the word 'war,'" the Pope said.
The Pope and the Grand Imam also inaugurated the first stone of a church and a mosque to be built beside one another in Abu Dhabi. The Church of St. Francis and the Mosque of Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb will form part of a Centre for Interreligious Dialogue.
While this stands as a landmark event, it was Pope Francis' seventh visit to a predominantly Muslim country signalling the continued effort of Vatican City to improve ties between Catholics and the Islamic world.
The former Yugoslav Republic, Macedonia has been accepted into the NATO Alliance after Greece dropped its objections to the state's entry after a deal with Greece ended a 27-year-old dispute over its name. Greece had objected to the use of the name Macedonia by the former Yugoslav Republic, as it believed the Balkan state was trying to appropriate Greek heritage and undermine its territorial integrity; suggesting that Skopje had territorial claims to Greece's northern region of Macedonia.
The newly renamed North Macedonia is now being hailed by Greece as a "friendly partner" and hopes to use this deal with Greece as a way to obtaining full membership of the European Union as well. This deal was the culmination of a much protracted and difficult negotiation between the two states as nationalist and populist elements on both sides vehemently opposed any concessions.
After all NATO members approve the protocol -- a process expected to take a year -- North Macedonia will become an official member of the alliance. The deal was strongly supported by Western nations, with many seeing it as a measure to reduce Russian influence in the already Moscow-friendly Balkan region. Moscow had taken a dim view of the name accord, and of Macedonian membership in NATO it says, the alliance is undermining security in the region by taking in Balkan members.
Iranian state television announced the successful test of a new long-range cruise missile as part of the anniversary celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "The test of the Hoveizeh cruise missile was carried out successfully at a range of 1,200 kilometres and accurately hit the set target," Defence Minister Amir Hatami was quoted saying on state television where footage of its launch was broadcast. Hatami also described the Hoveizeh as the "long arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran" in defending itself. Adding that the missile could be ready at the shortest possible time and flew at a very low altitude.
The Hoveizeh unveiling was part of an arms exhibition titled "40 years of defensive achievements" held in Tehran, and is also part of the Soumar group of cruise missile, first unveiled in 2015 with a range of 700 kilometres, according to the minister.
Western experts have often been sceptical of Iran's claims of its weapons abilities have been concerned about Iran's long-range ballistic capabilities. While Iran claims to have voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles), sufficient to reach Israel and Western bases in the Middle East, western powers have often accused the Islamic Republic of pursuing enhanced missile capabilities that also threaten Europe.
The semi-official Fars News agency reported that, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, deputy head of the elite Revolutionary Guard, reiterated Iran's rejection of any talks on its missile program, in response to a demand raised by France and other European countries. He also emphasized that Iran's decision to limit the range and the number of its ballistic missiles was based on its current strategy, which could change based on circumstances.
Syria and Iran signed 11 agreements and memoranda of understanding on January 28, 2019, including a "long-term strategic economic cooperation" deal aimed at strengthening cooperation between Damascus and Iran. The 11 deals and memoranda of understanding covered fields including the economy, culture, education, infrastructure, investment and housing.
Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis said Syria and Iran signed a "unique" and "historic" agreement calling it "a message to the world on the reality of Syrian-Iranian cooperation." According to senior Iranian MP Allaedin Boroujerdi, the recent agreements are "a firm response" to the United States and its Western allies "investing billions of dollars to change the political structure of the Syrian government." They also come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to target Iranians in Syria if they do not leave the country, drawing a stark warning from Iranian military commanders.
Syrian state news agency SANA quoted Iranian First vice-president Eshaq Jahangiri as saying that his visit, with a large economic delegation, was a "message to the Syrian people and to the international community, thus reinforcing Iran's position as a key ally to the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war presently ravaging the country.